Frank Lampard has no plans to drop Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea starting XI

AP
AP

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has admitted that Kepa Arrizabalaga can improve but says he has not considered dropping the world's most expensive goalkeeper.

Kepa failed to keep out Isaac Hayden's stoppage-time header in the 1-0 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday and his statistics suggest he is increasingly a weak link for the Blues.

The 25-year-old, who cost £71.6million in August 2018, has the lowest save percentage from shots inside the box of any Premier League goalkeeper and has conceded nearly eight times as many goals as expected.

"The [transfer] fee is something that brings all the eyes on [him]," Lampard said. "I think that was the case last season and is the same this. Without a doubt with Kepa there is improvement he'll want to make. He should do.

“I like his attitude in that he's on himself and wants to be the best he can be. So it's what he can do for himself.

"I mentioned at the weekend, I think he probably could have saved a goal but there have been other times where he has made saves – Watford away sticks out, in the last seconds where he made a similar kind of save to what he didn't make at the weekend. I'm happy with him but as I say, I always want better.

"If I felt there was a need to change I would. Obviously I haven't done yet and Willy [Caballero, back-up goalkeeper] is fantastic in his role here. It's a difficult job being a No.2 goalkeeper when it's not so many games and a lot of training. He does that fantastically when he steps in and when he's in the dressing room he's brilliant. So I obviously haven't seen it that way yet."

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